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Article: "In Search of the Roots of Ancient American Civilisation"
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The Gathering

In Search of the Roots of Ancient American Civilisation

By JASON JEFFREY

     It was 1519 - the year that dramatically changed the course of history
for the people living in the newly 'discovered' Americas. Cortez, the
Spanish conquistador, and his motley band of buccaneers and
mercenaries had just landed and were about to embark on a great
adventure, in search for gold and precious gems. They found more
treasure than they ever dreamed of, but also unexpectedly, an advanced
civilisation. 

     Disembarking from their ship at a point somewhere close to where
modern day Mexico City is situated, they discovered that the country
was populated with a people who called themselves Aztecs. The
organised armies of the Aztecs, and their Emperor Montezuma, first met
the Spaniards not far from the coast. The encounter was friendly and
Cortez and his men were invited back to Montezuma's palace.

     Before Cortez and his men entered Montezuma's palace they had to cross
several inner yards with fountains squirting crystal-clear water into
the air. Their way led them through great chambers with ceilings
panelled in aromatic woods and beautifully carved. Incense-burners
spread a pleasant and pervasive scent.

     Above the main entrance to the palace the Spaniards found a device
known to them from home: an eagle with a panther in its talons.
 
     In the antechamber to the Emperor's hall the Spaniards were greeted by
members of the nobility, who took off their shoes, hid their robes
under a cloak of the coarsest cloth, and then, barefoot and with
downcast eyes, stepped humbly into their emperor's presence.

     According to historical accounts, a murmur of surprise rose from the
ranks of the Spaniards as they finally stood before Montezuma: The
Emperor was sitting on a throne, just as their own rulers did - and
the courtiers paid their respects before the throne in the same way
the Spaniards would have done at home. They were to see much more than
this that would remind them of home.

     Montezuma was wearing a cloak with a girdle, sandles with gold soles
and fastened by gilt straps. His cloak and sandles were embroidered
with pearls and precious stones. The Emperor was tall, slim, and about
forty years old. He had black, straight hair, a thin beard, and his
skin was paler than that of the other Indians.
    
     Although the Spaniards would not have realised its significance,
Montezuma wore on his head the Aztec's greatest treasure: a
magnificent head-dress of feathers containing the long tail-feathers
of exotic birds. Similarly, and almost certainly not coincidentally, a
Cretan prince wears a crown of lilies with a plume of peacock feathers
on a coloured six-foot frieze of stucco in the Palace of Knossos
(Crete, 1650 B.C.).
    
      What amazed the Spaniards the most was the numerous similarities in
custom and insignia between the Aztecs and the Old World. Throne and
litter (entourage), sceptre and crown, flowing drapery, purple,
heraldic beasts: All existed in both their worlds. Were these
parallels just coincidence, or had there been prior contacts between
the two worlds in the distant past? Before we examine this question,
first let us travel back and imagine what it must have been like in
the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, 1519 A.D.

The Great City of Tenochtitlan
    
      In the Historia Verdadeira Da La Conquista Bernal Diaz, who
accompanied Cortez on all his expeditions, wrote: 
    
      "And we saw so many towns and villages on the surface of the water and
many more still on the mainland, we were seized with wonder, and we
said, it must be magic...for everywhere great towers, temples and
pyramids rose out of the water; many a soldier thought he must be
dreaming."
    
      And Cortez himself records in surprise:
    
     "You find houses like those kept up by apothecaries, where you can buy
medicinal potions ready for drinking, ointments and plaster. You see
barber's saloons where you can take a bath or have your hair cut. You
come across houses where you can eat or drink against money."
    
     The city of Tenochtitlan had about 60,000 houses and 300,000
residents. The Spaniards strode along the wide streets with huge
mansions built of a red porous stone, nearly all having roof-gardens
full of luxuriant plants. The streets were swept clean and
well-washed. Strong pipes carried fresh drinking water from the
mountain of Chapultepec right into the middle of the city. 
    
      At the height of its prosperity, it was then a lively, teeming city,
with arsenals, granaries, an aviary, an enclosure for wild animals
looked after by keepers (just as in the zoos of our day), many
fountains and fish-ponds, large reservoirs set in chequered marble.
There were residences for state visitors, schools, special blocks for
priests' living quarters, and other large buildings. Littered across
the city you could see the tops of temple pyramids. The largest
pyramid was situated in the town of Cholula, half as tall as the Great
Pyramid of Giza, but measuring twice as long.

The Market Place
 
    Of the wonderful market at Tenochtitlan, Bernal Diaz writes:
 
    "When we reached the square called Tlatelolco we stared in amazement.
Not only at the mass of people and the profusion of goods but also at
the orderliness that reigned in everything, because we had never seen
the like of it before."
 
    Cortez was so struck by the market that he wrote: "There is...still
another market, twice as large as Salamanca's and entirely surrounded
by arcades."
 
    The Spaniards could not say enough about this fantastic spectacle, the
tens of thousands who went there daily. The men wore cloaks slung over
one shoulder and tied round their neck; their robes were adorned with
wide belts, fringes, tassels, and all sorts of jewellery. The women
wore several skirts, one on top of another, with very ornate ribbons
and beautiful embroideries. Many had their faces covered with thin
veils made from aloe fibres or rabbit wool. All the women wore long
plaits.
 
    Everything that was manufactured in the Spaniard's world was to be had
in this market of Tenochtitlan.
    
    There were special stalls for Cholula's jewellers and potters,
Azcapotzalco's goldsmiths, Tezcoco's painters, Tenayuca's
stone-cutters, Xilotepec's hunters, Cuitlahuac's fishermen,
Quauhtitlan's basket- and chair-weavers, Xochimilco's florists.
    
    There were a great variety of curios you could buy there: golden fish
with little scales of gold, golden birds with golden feathers and
movable heads, vessels made from all kinds of wood, varnished or even
gilt, bronze axes, warriors' helmets with crests of animal's heads,
quilted cotton waistcoats for the warriors, feather armours, swords
with obsidian blades, razors and mirrors from cut stone, hides and
leather goods of all sorts, tame and wild animals.
     
    In fact, delicate artistry reached such a high level in Aztec
civilisation that a life-size human skull was carved out of a solid
piece of crystal. This now famous piece of work now resides in the
British Museum.
    
    At the food-stalls mountains of poultry, fish and game were being
offered, a luxuriant array of vegetables, maize, baker's wares, bread,
cocoa, and Pulque, an intoxicating drink. There was also a profusion
of flowers, beyond anything the Spaniards had seen.
    
    The fairs of ancient Crete and Egypt must have been rather similar; as
for clothing, what the noble Indians wore was very like the attire of
the ancient Greeks; we know about it from the chronicler's
descriptions and in particular from the drawings in an old manuscript
to be found in the Madrid Museum.

Indians Ate With Spoons and Forks	
 
    Plates, spoons and forks did not come into general use in Europe till
the late sixteenth century. In the Indian civilisation, however, these
requisites had been in use for at least 1000 years before the Spanish
reached their shores.
    
    Pierre Honore, in his book In Quest of the White God, elaborates:
    
    "According to the Spaniards - who watched Montezuma when he was their
prisoner - the Emperor used to eat alone. Hundreds of dishes had been
prepared for him in earthenware, gold and silver bowls. His favourite
dishes were kept hot for him in special vessels. He sat on a big
cushion on the floor, with a low table in front of him. Plates and
cups were made of pottery...He also owned a golden set, which was used
on holy days. Torches of resinous wood lit the large room where the
Emperor took his meal. Five or six of his intimate councillors stood
in silence at the far end of the hall during the meal...
    
    "After the main meal there was bread, cakes and pastries of all kinds,
which were baked by the girls in the hall itself; for instance rolls
and 'waffles'. Then the Emperor would drink his 'chocolate', viscous
like honey, from a gold mug, and use a gold spoon for it. After
dipping his hands in the water, which was brought him in a silver
bowl, he smoked his pipe and let himself be entertained by conjurers,
jugglers and clowns. Then he had a siesta, which was followed by
receptions for dignitaries and emissaries. They would appear before
him with lowered eyes, wearing a hirsute gown, barefooted, and walk
backwards when they left his presence.
    
    "The procedure was similar at the table of the Incas of Peru, where
there were also spoons, and plates and cups made of pure gold. So here
were these requisites being used before they had come into use in
Europe. But, even more surprising, they were quite current in the
ancient civilisations of Egypt and Crete. The Egyptians had spoons
3,000 years before the birth of Christ. Assuming, therefore, that
these utensils were at one time brought into the New World
[Central/South America] from the Old [Europe/Mediterranean], they
could only have come out of one of the very ancient civilisations."
    
     According to all the chroniclers' accounts, the Aztecs had created an
advanced and thriving civilisation, on par with civilisations like
that of Mycenae, Crete, China, Rome, Phoenicia and the Celtic.
    
     The Spanish were soon to discover that the Aztecs were not the only
people to have existed on the continent. The remnants of even earlier
peoples were found. 
    
      We now know of the great empires of the Mayan, Tultecs, Zapotecs,
Tarascans, Olmecs, and on the Peruvian plains that of the Chimu, and
in the Andes, probably the earliest and greatest of all, the Chavin.
All existed either simultaneously or sequentially from about 1100 B.C.
until the tradition was crushed by the arrival of the Spanish. 
     
     As the Spanish slowly moved south on their search for gold and
precious stones they were still to encounter another great thriving
civilisation, this time in Peru.

The Incas
 
     After subjugating the Aztecs, the Spanish still dreamt of discovering
the legendary 'Eldorado', or City of Gold. Pizzaro, the leader of the
Spanish expedition, sailed south from Panama in 1531 and on the
evening of the 15th of November, 1532, the Spaniards entered
Cajamarca, the residence of the Incan ruler. Fortunately for the
Spanish, the empire was reeling from internal strife and conflict.
    
     Upon first seeing the Incan ruler Atahualpa, the Spanish were amazed
to see the use of a litter, and we still have a picture of it. He also
wore purple, as did the Aztec Emperor. For solemn occasions the Incan
ruler held a golden sceptre as large as a halberd. His big leather
shield was adorned with a heraldic bird, a falcon. 
    
      We know both throne and sceptre as emblems of royal dignity not only
from the Aztec and Incan empires, but also from drawings on ancient
Mayan vases and the painted friezes found on many Mayan temples.
    
       On their heads the Incan priests wore something like a tiara,
decorated with a golden sun. The Incas therefore recognised the
Spanish bishops with their mitres as the high priests of the new
religion.
	
      When the Spanish marched towards the Incan capital Cuzco, they were
surprised to find road engineering on a vast scale. All the Spanish
chroniclers stated that the roads were better than those of ancient
Rome, nor had they met such magnificent roads in any European country.
	
      But the Incas had something the Aztecs did not have: scales of
balance. Measurements are the foundation of all science. The Incas
used beam scales, like those of the ancient Romans. There was another
similarity with the old Romans: The division of the Incan army into
units of tens, hundreds, and thousands, just like the legions of Rome.
The Incas also used the decimal system and the old Sumerian
sexagesimal system of measurement by six, twelve and sixties. The
decimal system is over 4,000 years old. It was already known in Egypt
as far back as that, and later, around 1700 B.C., in Crete. The Greeks
adopted it from there, the Romans from the Greeks, and subsequently
reached all of Europe.
	
      In the Incan empire every citizen was classified by age according to
the decimal system starting with babies and ending with centenarians.
The Incas had taken it from the ancient people of Chimu, who had long
been subjected to them; the Chimu had been familiar with the decimal
system centuries before the Incas appeared.
	
      On entering Cuzco the Spanish saw another thing which was familiar to
them: nearly all the Indian dignitaries had turbans. People are shown
wearing turbans in paintings and statues of the Hittites, the
Babylonians, the Egyptians. All predate our era.
	
      Some of the Spanish had an odd experience in Cuzco.

      Everywhere in the Incan empire they were greeted and addressed as
'Viracocha'. Hearing the word again and again, they at first took it
for a form of salute and had no idea of its meaning. In Cuzco they
learnt that it was the name of the great god who the Indians say came
in the dim past and brought them all their knowledge.

The Great 'Viracocha'
	
Pierre Honore relates a remarkable incident that occurred in Cuzco:
	
   "...the conquerors heard about the temple which had been erected
outside the town to the god who was greater than all other gods. A
party of them hurried off there, hoping to find an immense store of
gold. They came to the temple of Viracocha, a one-storeyed building
about 125 feet by 100. They went in and entered a maze of passages:
there were twelve narrow passages going round the building. They made
their way from one into another, and finally penetrated to the
sanctuary, a small room paved with black slabs.
	
     "On a little dais on the far wall there was the figure of a man. When
they stood before it even the wildest, roughest and most hardened
veterans took their caps into their hands and hastily crossed
themselves: they knew that figure from all the churches and chapels in
Spain. It was an old man with a beard, standing erect, holding a chain
in one hand; the chain was round the neck of a fabulous creature which
lay before him on the ground. It was a statue of St. Bartholomew.
	
     "When they had recovered from their surprise they slowly filed out
into the passage again. They found no treasure here; the great temple
contained nothing but the statue of the god..." (In Quest of the White
God)
	
     This was not the only strange experience the Spanish had. The legend
of the bearded White God appeared everywhere they visited and
conquered.
	
     The Tultecs and Aztecs of Mexico called him Quetzalcoatl, the Incas
called him Viracocha. To the Maya he was Kukulcan, who brought them
all their laws, also their script, and was worshipped like a god by
the entire people.
	
The Legend of the 'White God'
	"They could do practically anything, nothing seemed to difficult for
them; they cut the greenstone, they melted gold, and all this came
from Quetzalcoatl - arts and knowledge." - Fray Bernandino Sahagun.
	The numerous legends of the great White God say that he brought the
Indians all their sciences, knowledge of engineering, laws, and their
higher level of civilisation.
	As Quetzalcoatl, he taught the people morality, gave them wise laws,
and showed them how to till the land. He forbade human sacrifice and
preached peace. Men were no longer to kill animals, even for their
food; they were to live on fruit and vegetables.
	This golden age did not last long, for (say the legends) a demon
plunged Quetzalcoatl into sin, debauchery and the neglection of his
religious duties. Quetzalcoatl was so full of grief and shame for his
misdeeds that he left the country with his followers. According to
other legends, he boarded a ship on the shore, which sailed back with
him to the land he had come from. But before his departure he promised
to return.
	As for South America, one of the Spanish chroniclers, Cieza de Leon,
records the appearance of a man with a beard by Lake Titicaca long
before the time of the Incas. He was a mighty man who taught the
people everything to do with law and civilisation. He was the creator
of all things and commanded men to be good to one another and live
without violence.
	Everywhere in the Indian states of Central and South America, and even
some parts of North America, the legend of the White God is known, and
it always ends in the same way: the White God left his people with a
solemn promise that he would one day come back. The legend, however,
was one of the main reasons for the quick downfall of the Indian
states. The people had the image of the White God so firmly fixed in
their minds that they immediately accepted the Spaniards as the White
God's followers who had returned.

Prophecy Comes True
	According to Pierre Honore, the time of the expected return of the
White God was remarkably similar to the arrival of the Spanish. 
	"The Aztec priests in Mexico had worked out that their White God, who
had left them in the year Ce-acatl (1 Reed), would also return one day
in the year Ce-acatl. In the Aztec calendar this year Ce-acatl recurs
every fifty-two years. Before every such recurrence the stars and
other portents were carefully observed, and each time the priests
predicted whether the White God would return on the first day of the
new cycle.
	"By a strange coincidence it was just before a new cycle started that
word got round among the Aztecs of 'water houses with swan wings'
cruising off their shores. Soon after the new year '1 Reed' began
Cortez landed on the coast of Mexico. Even the date, the day of the
White God's return, tallied exactly with the one the priests had
worked out from their ancient records: the White God would return in
the year 1 Reed on the day '9 Wind'. The date by our reckoning was
April 22nd, 1519, Thursday of that year.
	"The White God who had come to the Indians so long ago had worn a
black beret and a black gown. Cortez wore both these, and he landed at
almost exactly the spot where the White God had once bidden his people
farewell... How could the Indians doubt that he was the god, returning
to take possession of his former realm?
	"But the white men with beards were a motley crowd of mercenaries and
adventurers, to whom life was cheap; they came with fire and the
sword. The credulous Indians took their sufferings at the Spaniards'
hands as a judgment from the White God, and this allowed a handful of
adventurers to destroy the high civilisation of an entire continent."
	
Sacrifices Repugnant
	However, with this in mind, we cannot ignore the brutal and bloody
human sacrifices carried out on a large scale by the Indians in the
temples of war-deities. 
	An increase in wars and feuding between neighbour Indian states had
given rise to the worship of warrior gods, to the detriment of the
high religion handed to them by the White God. At the time of the
arrival of the Spanish in this new land, human sacrifice of thousands
of enemy victims had become the order of the day. The chroniclers
described visiting these temples of sacrifice where the victim's heart
was ripped asunder and the blood ran like a river.
	The Spaniards felt morally justified in destroying what they called a
barbarous society. Nevertheless, a crime was committed by the
Spaniards and the zealous Catholic bishops that fared with them, when
thousands upon thousands of Indian religious, scientific and
historical documents were systematically burnt. Also, the near-total
destruction of buildings, temples and even houses was expeditiously
accomplished in an effort to wipe out all traces of idolatry.
	On the destruction of the Aztec cities, Bernal Diaz wrote: "Everything
lies shattered on the ground, and not a thing is left standing
upright."
	For the Indians, the White God had returned. Yet this time, instead of
bringing knowledge and civilisation, these 'White Gods' had brought
suffering and total annihilation.
 
Who was the White God?
	There is now very little left of these once great civilisations of the
Americas. Of original Indian documents, only a few remain. How can we
be certain that the legend of the White God is true?
	There is no reason for the chroniclers to consistently invent stories.
Moreover, one of the chroniclers, Don Fernando, was a descendant of
Montezuma. He records that when Montezuma was crowned, the priests
addressed the traditional warning to him:
	"Remember that this is not your throne, that it is only lent to you
and will one day be returned to the one to whom it is due." Thus, when
the Spaniards landed, Montezuma was convinced the White God was
returning to reclaim this throne.
	Soon after the arrival of the Spaniards, Montezuma made a speech to
his ministers and high dignitaries:
	"You know, as I do, that our ancestors did not hail from this country
we live in, but came here from a far distant land, led by a great
prince. This prince then left the country again with only a few of his
followers, but returned a long time afterwards. He saw that our
ancestors, his subjects, had built towns, had chosen wives from the
daughters of the country, and had had children by them; that they had
settled in their new land and would not go back with him, their
prince. Since they no longer wanted him as their ruler, he went away
alone, announcing that he would one day in the remote future either
return himself with an immense army or send someone in his name to
take back what was his due.
	"You know too that we have always been expecting him. All we have
heard about the foreign commander and his emperor who has sent him to
us across the great sea, from the direction where the sun rises, the
direction in which that great prince of our ancestors once went back -
all that makes me believe this is assuredly the great master we have
ever been expecting...."
	A confirmatory note is the account of Montezuma's statements upon
meeting Cortez. To the Spaniard he said:
	"For a long time and by means of our writings, we have possessed a
knowledge, transmitted from our ancestors, that neither I nor any of
us who inhabit this land are of native origin.
	"We are foreigners and came here from very remote parts. We possess
information that our lineage was led to this land by a prince to whom
we all owed allegiance (vasalage)....We believe and hold as certain
that he [the Spanish King] must be our rightful prince..."
	The Incas also regarded the Spanish in a prophetic light.
	Cusi Hualpa, an old Inca general, described an assembly of Incan
nobility to his nephew, the chronicler Garcilaso, who recounted a
speech by the Incan ruler:
	"Our father, the sun, has revealed to me that after the rule of twelve
Incas, his children, men of a kind unknown to us, will come into our
country and subjugate our states. Without doubt they belong to the
people whose men were sighted off our coast....Let me assure you that
these strangers will come into our country and fulfil the oracle."
	Of vital importance is the writings of the native historian Don
Fernando de Alva Ixlilxochitl. He was able to collect evidence from
Indians in other parts of the continent that also confirms what both
the Incas and Aztecs claimed.
	Of the Tultecs, who were in 1519 only a memory, Don Fernando writes:
	"...And the Tultecs...came to these parts, having first passed over
great lands and seas, living in caves and passing through great
hardships, until getting to this land." (Primera Relacion)
	The same accounts appear again and again, too many to record in this
article, and correlate too closely to be ignored. Modern historians
still choose to reject this evidence and the likelihood that
inter-cultural links were established between the Old and New Worlds.
They prefer the 'progressive' view of history where cultures developed
'separately', from primitive tribalism to a more complex city-state
structure. Of course, they always add that this progression all
happened because of 'economic necessity'.
	Therefore, modern historians reject these legends and turn a blind eye
to the innumerable cultural similarities between these two worlds. Is
it academically correct to ignore the obvious though? Take the Mayan
language.

The Maya Spoke Cretan
	A most remarkable discovery has been made in comparing Mayan glyphs
with that of alphabets from the Old World.
	In referring to the illustration you will note the very close likeness
of both Mayan and Cretan Linear A scripts. Cretan Linear A script,
appearing in 1700 B.C., was later simplified into what is termed
Linear B script in approximately 1450 B.C. It is also known that the
Phoenician script descended from Linear B type and thus the
similarities between Phoenician and Mayan scripts is very obvious.
	Therefore, Cretan Linear A script, used in the Cretan world (and
probably surrounding areas) before 1450 B.C., must have been
transferred to the New World before this date (or vice-versa). Was it
transferred by the ancient peoples of Crete? After all, the Mayan
legends state that Kukulcan, their White God, taught his people the
script he had brought with him.
	Moreover, according to the Spanish conquerors, what language did the
Incan royals and all the country's notables speak, which neither the
people nor the interpreters could understand? Perhaps this was the
ancient Cretan language.
	Clearly, many cultural influences from the Mediterranean and European
regions reached the Indian civilisations very early in history. 
	Apart from the similarities we have already mentioned is the question
of the Indian's religion, and its origins. Again, we see many
correlations.
	Religion is the centre and core of a civilisation. In any culture, the
style of architecture, of painting, the system of law, the structure
of society, and the music are recognisably related to each other and
that society's past. This does not occur by chance. 
	In Michael Coe's book, The Mayan Scribe and His World, he states that
there, "...was a single, unified body of thought in Meso-America -
Mexico and South America - which we would call a Mesoamerican
religion." Certainly a unified body of thought was extent, but a
'Mesoamerican religion'?

Sun-Worship 
	As we have seen, the White God brought the Indians a complete
civilisation. And he also brought them a knowledge of the Solar
Tradition, or worship of the Sun, as the symbol of the Almighty
Creator. Pyramids, historically, were built in honour of the Sun God
and were used for religious ceremonies. The numerous pyramid temples
built throughout the Indian civilisations bear close resemblance to
the pyramid structures of Egypt and Mesopotamia. 
	Sun-worship was the dominant religious influence in all advanced
cultures during the long period before Christ. Jesus the Christ is
recognised as reinstating the Solar Tradition, after a period of
spiritual decline and decadence, much like the times we live in today.

	We can safely assume that sun-worship was brought from the Old World
to the New World at some time by the legendary White God. Therefore,
Michael Coe's assertion that a 'Mesoamerican religion' existed
throughout the Indian civilisations is incorrect. Their religion, at
its very core, we find is essentially identical to all sun-worshipping
religions. Certainly the exoteric (outer) form of their religion might
well have been quite different to that of other religions of the Old
World at the time. Let's take a look at some of the exoteric religious
practices of the Indians at the time of the Spanish conquest.

Baptism  
	The most remarkable thing the Catholic priests discovered after the
Indians were conquered was their affinity with the stories and customs
of the Bible.
	They described a 'baptism' in one of the temples of Tenochtitlan, when
a child was sprinkled with water and given a name, just as in the
churches of the Old World. The priest said: "Take and receive, for on
this earth you will live on water, water makes you grow and flourish,
water gives us what we need for our life - receive this water." The
Aztecs also used incense (so did the Incas). They received large
quantities of resin for incense, as can be seen from their tribute
lists.
	The Spaniards saw the Aztec priests 'forgive sins'. At this ceremony
small pieces of bread were distributed among the faithful in the
temple. They ate the bread in a very devout manner, thereby
propitiating the gods - so one of the Indians explained the ceremony.
In the time of the first Spaniards a form of 'confession' was still
going on in the Indian temples; they watched the priests blessing a
marriage, saw the sacred crosses in the temples, and heard of the
White God of the Indians, said to be born of a virgin of immaculate
conception.
	When Spaniards eventually settled - as priests, 'civil servants', or
judges - they became more familiar with Mayan customs, and made some
new and astonishing discoveries. The Maya were still celebrating their
age-old festivals in the same way as they had done for centuries;
these were strangely like the festivals of the Catholic world, and
even fell on almost the same days. The 16th of May, for instance, was
for the Maya the day when the waters were blessed; in Europe it was
the day of St. John Nepomucen (patron saint of Bohemia), saint of the
water. The 8th of September for the Maya was the birthday of the White
God's mother - in Catholic countries it is the day of the Blessed
Virgin's birth; and the White God's birthday was celebrated on the
25th of December. On the 2nd of November, when Catholics even today
visit the cemeteries to put flowers on the graves of their dear ones,
the Maya used to go to the graves of their dead and decorate them with
flowers. 
	This is not to say that the Indians were some sort of Catholics
(although this cannot be ruled out entirely as we know that there were
many expeditions from the Old to the New World after Christ). Many of
the holy days mentioned were of significance to the so-called 'pagan'
peoples of the Old World before the advent of Catholicism. It can be
shown that the 25th of December is the date of birth for many
pre-Christian Solar deities in the Old World. 
	Of course the Mayan may still have 'fitted in' these holy days later
on, but the fact remains that these days existed on their calendars.
There are too many parallels to ignore.

The Los Lunos Tablet
	The discovery of the Los Lunos tablet in New Mexico, USA, signified a
turning point in the debate over early voyages to the Americas. The
inscription on the tablet has been found to be a summary of the Ten
Commandments from Exodus 20:2-17 (see illustration). E. Raymond Capt
in his Missing Links Discovered, says that the inscription is an
"example of early Hebrew script resembling Phoenician writing (circa
1000 B.C.) under Greek influence." 
	Another script on a stone discovered at Bat Creek, Tennessee, USA, was
verified by the respected scholar Dr. Cyrus Gordan as authentic
Hebrew. The latest dating for this inscription place it at
approximately 1650 B.C., raising the obvious implication that early
Hebrew voyages to the Americas had occurred well before Columbus. 
	Some writers have even raised the notion that the White God was Jesus
Christ, or one of his close disciples.  
	In her fascinating book He Walked the Americas, L. Taylor Hansen
quotes tribal legends telling of a White Prophet, perhaps an Essene,
an early follower of Jesus, who roamed through North and South America
preaching Divine Truth, healing the sick and teaching all men the arts
of peace. The Chippewas described him as bearded and pale of feature
with grey-green eyes, copper-coloured hair, arrayed in a long white
robe and wearing golden sandals. Of course, these legends could have
been modified at a later date so that the White God was transformed
into the figure of Jesus.
	More complications arise when one considers some of the recorded
traditions of the Indians. The highland Guat-emalan traditions were
recorded in 1654 and state that:
	"These [the ancestors]...were the three nations of Quiches, and they
came from where the sun rises, descendants of Israel, of the same
language and the same customs." (Title of the Lords of Totonicapan,
1953) Again, we still must consider the possibility that convenient
modifications were made to these traditions.

Conclusions
	What we have attempted to show in this brief outline is that a high
Mesoamerican (Indian/New World) civilisation existed, and that its
origins are not so much fiction, as the evidence of its beginnings and
the influences upon it can be traced. At its peak, the Indian
civilisations must have rivalled those of the Old World such as the
Cretan, Phoenician, Hittite and even Roman.
	In making comparisons between the Indian civilisations and the Old
World, we also have noted the many similarities and correlations.
Evidence abounds that inter-hemispherical contacts took place many
times, possibly over a period of more than 1000 years. It is such an
absurdity that all our modern history books still contain the error
that Christopher Columbus was the first man to discover America. That
tide may gradually turn in the future. Some scholars have now
recognised that America was visited by the ancient Libyans
(Phoenicians), Cretans, a variety of Asian peoples, the early Hebrews,
and even Sumerians.
	A most intriguing aspect of Indian civilisation was the widespread
belief in the White God who would one day return. The prophecy was
suddenly and devastatingly fulfilled with the arrival of the Spanish -
a mere coincidence, or the fulfilment of a promise made by a mighty
man with great foresight? 
	Were the Spanish the descendants of the peoples of the so-called White
God, and if so, would they have destroyed their civilisation so
viciously, if bloody human sacrifices were not occurring? Although we
cannot answer these questions, the wonderment and curiosity over these
fantastic civilisations will not cease.
	If we are to learn anything from this article, then it should be that
human history has not simply moved from primitive man to 'intelligent'
20th century man. Real ancient history tells us that there did indeed
exist great and wondrous civilisations in humanity's dim past. Our age
may be advanced in the material and technological realm, but the
peoples of antiquity placed spiritual awareness above such
considerations. Quality of life was embraced and enhanced. Maybe 20th
century humanity can still learn lessons from vanished civilisations,
before it is too late. The past still has much to teach the present.
	It is precisely within this context that we should view Mesoamerican
civilisation.       

Copyright (C) New Dawn 1996, All Rights Reserved.

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